Type-writer keyboard.



L. A, WILLIAMS. TYPE WRITER KEYBOARD. APPLIGATION FILED 0011.10. 1968.

Patented May 16, i911.

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h I J fh 05@ @of .it-narransrATns PTENT OFFICE.

LYNN A. WILLIAMS, or EvANsToN, ILLINOIS.

TYPE-WRITER KEYBOARD.

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To all whom 'it may concern.'

' Be `it known that I, LYNN A. WILLIAMS, a

citizen of fthe United States, residing at Evanston, inv the county of Cook and State of Hlinois,`have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Type-'Writer Key- 1lboards, 'of which `the following is a full,

clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming'a part'of this specification.

My invention relates'to keyboards for use with .typewriters and it is an object of my4 invention to rovide a' means by which the keys constitu ing the main portion of the keyboard may be readily distinguished from' extra ykeys' used; in4 connection with some styles of typewritmg -mach1nes.

' In ,connection withtypewriters generallyv it .has been. the practice' to use an arrangement of keys. in 'which the vcomloniationI-of the characters indicatedupon the key. heads and corresponding to the characters adapted to be operated b the keys is known as .the t universal key oard. l`l'1is keyboardhas, after years of experimentation, been decided vupon as one 'of the most efficient arrangements offthe.- characters for practical use, `and is an arrangement.commonly used in connection with sti-called touch systems ofv typewriting';I In these systems theloeation 'of the hands of the operator upon the keyboard is determined by the relation of the lingers to theend ones of the several .rows of keys, selectionof'all of the keys on the keyboard .being determined by proper movements of the hands 'of the operator relatively tothecertain. normaly positions determined by such end keys without requiring Athe operatorl to look at the keyboard to ascertain whether such selection is correct.

"in" connection with some types ot' machines it hasbeen found desirable to use extra 'characters and extra keys eorresl'mnding tosuch characters. These keys have usuallybeen placed atthe ends o-lfthe several rows of keys normally used in connectionv with the typewriter, and an undesirable. re- Still; ofthis -arrangement has been that an o )erator familiar with the touch system of typewrit'ing is seriously confused because the handsi|atlnally .locate lhen'iselves upon the keyboard with reference to the end keys oliA t he several rows. By my invention l avoid Vthis d-illieulty by locating the extra keys at a.

` dill'erent height than the remaining keys in the corresponding rows, asa result of which Specification ofLetters Patent. Application '1ed October- 10, 1908. Serial' N o. 457,043.

Patented May. 1c, 1911.

they are not naturally touched by the operator in locating the hands on thefkeyboard by the touch system. This arrangement, however, oli'ers practically no ditli culty to using these extra keys, since they may be operated when desired `quite as readily as though they were on the same level as the remaining keys on the corresponding rows.

While my invention is particularly A dapted to use with the .so-called universal keyboard to vdistinguish the keys composing it from extra keys that may be used, it is equally applicable to any standard keyboard arrangement in which a certain combination of characters or letters has been commonly employed and with which it is found desirable to use in some cases extra keys and characters.

The several drawings illustrating my invention are .as follows: Figure l is a plan view of a typewriter keyboard. Fig. 2 is a -eral rows. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of two of the keys andkcy bars.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in the drawings, the framework 11 of the typewriter supports in Aany suitable manner not shown a plurality of key bars terminating in several rows of keys 1, 2, Si and 4.' These rows ot'- keys arcsituated at different heightssrelatively to each other, the back row l being the highest, the row 2 in|- medialely in l'ront ot' the lirst row being somewhat lower, the row 3 in front ot' the row 2 being lower still, while the row 4, or the front row, is lower than therow 3.' This is the usual arrangement in. connection with typewriter construct-imi for the purpose of selecting the desired keys with greater ifacilty than it all vof the keys were in the same plane. v

As shown in Fig. 1,- all of the keys to the .left ot' the dotted line 5, 5 are arranged in the manner conunon to typewriters, this arrangement of the letters heilig known as the universal keyboard. It is to be noticed in the keyboard shown that an extra key is provided in each row'at the right handv end l, 2, l 'and 4, respectively. As indicated |n l`|g. 2, the keys l, u, ti and It occupy positions somewhat lower than the remaining o'l the row. 'lhese extra keys are shown at l' keys in the several rows 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, all of the keys in each of such rows being on the sainclevel with the exception ofthe `right hand keys mentioned.

As a result of the arrangement just described, the fingers of the operator.I when resting upon the keyboard and seeking their proper position relatively thereto by feeling for the end keys of the several rows, would naturally select the keys immediately to the lei't of the broken liiie 5, 5, silice the extra keys l, 2a, 8 and 4 -are sulliciciitly depressed to prevent their 'coming in Contact with the lingers of the operator during the normal operation of the machine. The charaeters controlled by the extra keys are used but seldom, and it requires little effort therefore to glance at the keyboard to select the proper one of these extra keys and operate it when one of these extra characters is re' quired. As a result, the extra characters are nearly or quite as available as though they were on the saine level as the reinainiiigkeys of the corresponding rows, and the c0iifu sion which would result-froin displacing the entire touch system of the right hand one key'to the right, is eiitirelyavoided.

In the drawings there are shown, in addition ,to the regular 'operating keys described, the usual shirt keys 6, a shift lock 7, a back spacer 8 tabulatingkeys 9, and space barl0. These last mentioned parts, however, are

shownionly to complete the layout, of' the keyboard and do not constitute any part of the present invention. Y

Figs. 3 and 4 show in detalla convenien means by which the right hand key of each row may be located lower than 4the remaining keys' in the corresponding row. The key bar 4c, shown in Fig. 4, may be taken, for example' as ,illustrative of the -key bars used in connection with the row of keys 4,

while the key bar 4` used -with the key 4"- inay bel of the same conformation, with the exception that the vertical member or shank extending 'rom'the key 'bar to the key may be madev sufliciently shorter to give the dcsired depression'to the key.4 relatively tov the remaining keys 4 of the row. V l

While' I Vhave shown my invention in the particular embodiment herein described, I

,do not, however,limit myself to 'this exact construction, but desire to claim aiiycquivaleiitthat may suggest itself to thoseskilledin the art. What I claim is:

41. .A typewriter keyboard consisting of four rows ofkeys arranged in different horizontal planes, the end key-of each of such rows being normally disposed below the level of the remaining keys of such-row.

2. In a typewriter," a keyboard consisting and extra keys also in such rows, the extra4 keys of each row being located below the adjacent regular keys of the same'row.

3. In aA typewrite'rya keyboard consisting of regular keys arranged in transverse rows, each row being in the lsaine horizontal plane, and extra keys also in such4 rows, each of said extrakeysibeing in a different horizontal plane from the regular row t:with which said key is associated. j

4.- Iii a typewriter, a special keyboard consisting of a. universal keyboard arranged in transverse rows and extra keys also 'in such rows, said extra-keys of the saine row. being located below the keys of the universal keyboard. y

5. In a typewriter, a special keyboard consisting of anniversal keyboard arranged in transverse rows and extra keys also in fio of regular keys arranged in transverse rows such rows, each'of said extra keys being on a different level from the row'of regular consisting of a, universal keyboard arranged in transverse rows, each row being in a single horizontal plane and extra keys at the lends of. suoli rows, 'each extra key being in a lower horizontal plane than the row of regularV keys. with which said extra key is associated.

7 A typewriter keyboard consisting of a plurality of transverse rows of keys, the end key of one of such rows being normally on a lower levelthan the remaining 4keys of such row.A i

8.' In a typewriter, a keyboard 'consisting of regular keys arranged iii transverse rows, andextrakeys also in suclrrows, said extra same row. 9. In a ty ewriter, a*` keyboard having the keys of each row .being located at different, levels froin'the 1iacent regular keys of the printing keys most used arranged in a plu- LYNN A.. wiiiLiirMs,

- lVitnesses:

' AHanvnr L. Hanson,

Anisnn'r Bums.

rality of rows; each of said rows lying in.v 

